


My Servant Noctis, In Whom I Am Well Pleased

by Akumeoi



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crack Treated Seriously, Ending Fix, Fix-It, Gen, Gods, Minor Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum, Post-Canon Fix-It, the promptis is mentioned in passing at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-14 19:27:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17514533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/pseuds/Akumeoi
Summary: Noctis has found the peace of the afterlife, but one of the Astrals regrets the events which sent him there prematurely.





	My Servant Noctis, In Whom I Am Well Pleased

**Author's Note:**

> I mention Etro in this fic, but, disclaimer: I know next to nothing about her.
> 
> Also, I based the SMS skin that I used for this work on [THIS](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6434845/chapters/14729722) tutorial. Thank you, CodenameCarrot and La_Temperanza!

Noctis opened his eyes - something he had expected to never do again.

He was in the throne room, sitting on the throne, just as he had been when his eyes had closed. All was calm and still. There was no pain in his body, and warm rays of sunlight spilt out of the windows. The silence was deep and complete. It was as if the Citadel had been abandoned yet preserved for hundreds of thousands of years, and only today had Noctis returned. It was the first day of the rest of eternity.

Noctis took a deep, full breath, which felt like the first he’d taken in his entire life. Entire life - well, that was probably over now. From the look and feel of things, this must be the afterlife. 

Getting to his feet, Noctis stretched, luxuriating in the warmth of the sunlight on his skin. He felt so deliriously free. What should he do next? He could do anything. Mandates from gods could touch him no longer. The fates and lives of others didn’t rest on his shoulders. All Noctis had to do was - whatever he wanted. He felt so light, he could fly away.

Getting to his feet, Noctis left the throne room, passed through the empty halls of the Citadel where his footsteps echoed. The whole building had the same clean, quiet, warm feeling as the throne room. When he finally opened the front door, the courtyard took his breath away in its sun-spangled resplendence. Slowly, Noctis descended the stairs until he was standing in the square, face tipped up to the benevolent sky. It was wonderful.

Even here, outside, there was not a single sign of life. The air smelled faintly of nearby flowers. But he could see no one and hear no human movements, nor even a dog barking, a bird chirping, or the sound of a single cricket. It was then that Noctis began to feel afraid. 

“Hello?” Noctis called. “Is anyone there?”

But there was no reply.

Was he really alone here? Noctis had been expecting others. His dad, perhaps. Luna. At least Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio were not here, so hopefully they were still alive. Thinking of them, Noctis felt a touch of sadness. His greatest regret was not having had enough time with them, and of having had to abandon them after everything was over. They deserved better than that from him. He could still see the expressions on their faces as they said goodbye to him on the stairs of the Citadel. 

Thinking of that moment, Noctis felt grief and guilt rise up in his chest. Then anger. He’d thought all this would be over when he finally died. True, the burden of fate had been lifted. But nothing could ever make him stop caring about the lives of his friends.

“Hello?” Noctis called again, his voice beginning to tremble. When there was still no reply he sank to his knees. “Anyone? Please?”

Just as he was about to start openly weeping, he heard a strange pattering sound - something out there moving. When he looked up, he saw something running towards him from the other end of the square - a tiny blue fox with ears seemingly twice the size of his head. Carbuncle. When the little fox finally reached him, he leapt into Noctis’s arms, washing at the tear-tracks on Noctis’s face with his little pink tongue. When he paused to draw breath, he made the little hiccough-chirrup noise which meant he’d just messaged the phone Noctis didn’t know he still had inside his pocket. Noctis ignored it even as Carbuncle chirruped several times, cuddling Carbuncle in his arms and burying his face in Carbuncle’s furry side. 

When Noctis finally stopped crying, Carbuncle draped himself over both of Noctis’s shoulders, flicking his tail against the side of Noctis’s face. Noctis got the message, and finally took out his phone. The texts read:

**Carbuncle:** im here im here  
  
**Carbuncle:** dont cry :( i love you  
  
**Carbuncle:** dont cry im sorry  
  
**Carbuncle:** i thought you would like it here, i didnt realise you would be sad or i would have come sooner  
  
**Carbuncle:** tell me whats wrong  
  


“You’re really worried about me, huh?” Noctis said, reaching back with one hand to fluff the ruff of fur behind Carbuncle’s head. He took a deep breath. His heart constricted in his chest, still. “I miss my friends,” he admitted. “I just wish I could see if they’re doing okay.”

Carbuncle chirped. 

**Carbuncle:** theyre going to be fine i promise. everything is over. you shouldnt cry anymore. i wont let anyone hurt you ever again!!  
  
**Carbuncle:** you did so good in the mortal world, i am really really proud of you!!  
  


In spite of himself, Noctis gave a brave little laugh. 

“Thanks, buddy,” he said. Carbuncle flicked his tail-tip against Noctis’s face again, and pushed his little wet nose against Noctis’s cheek. The next messages read:

**Carbuncle:** i think we need to have an important conversation  
  
**Carbuncle:** theres a lot i couldnt tell you back when you were alive  
  
**Carbuncle:** i am responsible for some of the things that happened to you, but i promise i never meant to cause you any pain  
  
**Carbuncle:** i know you think i am just a dream protector but i am so much more than that  
  
**Carbuncle:** i am the Luxion  
  
**Carbuncle:** do you have faith in me noctis?  
  


“The Luxion?” Noctis murmured aloud. “I don’t know who that is.” Carbuncle didn’t reply. “The Luxion” sounded, to Noctis, like the name of a god. Like one of the Six - the Hexatheon - but with the root “lux”, for light - or for Lucis. A shiver traced its way down Noctis’s spine, like a breath of cold wind was blowing through the square. Something in his being seemed to recognise that name. 

He thought of how Carbuncle had always been there for him, had come for him in the heat of battle and healed him, had played with him in his dreams and tried to escort him out of the depths of his nightmares. In the Crystal, Carbuncle had come to him occasionally and rested in his arms, the sole comfort aside from memory Noctis had experienced in 10 long, dark years. 

“I have faith in you, Carbuncle,” Noctis murmured.

At his words, Carbuncle gave a little wiggle and climbed down from his shoulders. He walked a few paces away, turned around, and sat down facing Noctis.

**Carbuncle:** then whenever you are ready, please look into my eyes, and don’t look away  
  


Noctis glanced from his phone to Carbuncle, who was sitting quite calmly. He gave an unhurried yawn, his tongue curling adorably in his mouth. Carbuncle was so cute and nonthreatening. Despite the weird request, Noctis couldn’t bring himself to feel unsettled or afraid, only curious and confused. So, setting his phone down on the sidewalk beside him, Noctis crossed his legs and propped his chin on his hands.

Carbuncle’s furry blue face filled Noctis’s field of vision, Carbuncle’s big ears stretching out on either side of his head like wings. His little black eyes were friendly and warm. As Noctis looked into them, the gemlike red horn on Carbuncle’s forehead began to glow. Somehow, it seemed to cast fractals of coloured light onto the pavement like the shadow of a stained-glass window, which surrounded him and Noctis both in a dazzling mandala. 

As Noctis looked at Carbuncle, the world seemed to fall away. The blackness of Carbuncle’s eyes filled Noctis’s vision, like the night sky expanding and unfolding and exploding with stars. Noctis began to realise - wow, he was so small. And Carbuncle - Carbuncle was huge, massive, bigger than the sky itself. It wasn’t that his body had grown in size. It was that Carbuncle’s being was vast, that the physical form Noctis had always assumed was the sum of him was nothing but an illusion. 

The breath caught in Noctis’s throat at the realisation that Carbuncle was greater than the greatest Astral Noctis had ever known. Yet at the same time, Carbuncle was still the same small furry friend who had comforted and protected Noctis for all of his life.

“I am the Luxion,” said Carbuncle. Though Noctis had never heard Carbuncle’s voice before, he realised it had been with him for his entire life. It was as warm, cheerful, chipper, childish, and simple as Carbuncle’s texts had suggested it would be. “Some call me the Creator, or Eos, or Etro, or Lux. But you can still call me Carbuncle if you want to, because you are my friend!”

Noctis smiled, wiping his eyes with the heel of one hand without breaking eye contact with Carbuncle.

“You’re okay, right?” Carbuncle said anxiously, like he was afraid he’d broken Noctis’s brain or something. Noctis gave a watery laugh.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said. “Didn’t you have something you wanted to tell me?”

“Yes,” Carbuncle said seriously, his ears twitching. “Eos is my star. I was here first. I saved the Six as their stars fell through space. I let them live here and be the gods of my humans. Then they had a big war with each other and the humans and I was really mad. I made a big dream world for them to sleep in and calm down and feel better. Humans forgot me. The Six also thought I forgot them and went away, but I didn’t.” Here, he paused, his eyes serious and sad. “I know you thought sometimes that all the bad things you went through in life were a test, but it was never a test for you. All the things that happened to you were supposed to be a test for the Six. The Starscourge was a problem I wanted them to solve. Ardyn the Usurper was a problem I wanted them to solve. It was okay for them to get help from humans, but that’s not what they did at all. They were horrible to you, and used you, and made you die to fix their problems. And because of what they did to you and all the other humans, I am very angry with them!”

For the first time, Carbuncle’s voice took on a fearsome quality. His eyes seemed to flash and his whole body quivered with anger, but Noctis wasn’t afraid because he knew it wasn’t directed at him. 

“I’m going to make those miserable stinkers pay! They threw my kindness in my face!” Carbuncle yowled, his fur bristling. Then he shook himself and turned his attention back to Noctis. “I always knew you would do the right thing, no matter what happened. You are a good person, Noctis. But you are only human, and the right thing was too hard to be fair. I’m sorry I had to ask it of you. Can you forgive me?”

The force of Carbuncle’s faith in Noctis was nigh overwhelming, because he didn’t think he deserved it. There had been so many times on his journey when he’d questioned if he was doing the right thing and nearly given up. At the same time, having someone take responsibility for his suffering - and apologising for it - was overwhelming for a totally different reason. Noctis had been so angry for all the meaningless bullshit life had put him through. Would his anger come to bear on Carbuncle, who was professing to deserve it?

Noctis could not just see in Carbuncle’s face and posture, but physically feel surrounding him the force of Carbuncle’s regret and love. And Carbuncle might have been responsible for Noctis being born prince, but nobody had made his dad withhold secrets from him, or Leviathan kill Luna, or Ardyn be insufferably evil, or Bahamut be a condescending prick, but they themselves.

“I forgive you,” Noctis said. 

“Thank you!” Carbuncle exclaimed, closing his eyes and fluttering his ears in happiness. Noctis could practically see the heart emoji floating over his head. “You are so nice!”

Noctis let out a surprised snort of laughter. 

“You are!” Carbuncle insisted, his eyes blinking open again. “Listen, Noctis, I have a question for you.” Noctis tilted his head. “I want Bahamut to be on cosmic janitorial duties for the rest of his existence. Leviathan is going to star jail until she stops being mean and crazy. Shiva and Ifrit and Titan and Ramuh are grounded and can only make light and breathe life into plants for at least 10,000 years. But that leaves Eos without any gods except me. How would you like to be my Messenger? I think you’d be good at it. And I promise it will be much, much nicer than being a king. And you can quit any time you want - although I hope that you won’t want to.”

The idea of Bahamut doing “comic janitorial duties” (whatever those might be), sent Noctis’s head spinning. He couldn’t imagine the world without the Six in it. But somehow, if the Six were gone, they would be partly replaced by him? Noctis’s first instinct was to reject the responsibility. He wanted to stay free. But then, being a Messenger seemed like the exact same thing as being the Chosen King but with job security, a boss he actually liked, and Carbuncle’s promise that it would be “nice”. 

“What happens if I say no?” Noctis asked.

“You go back into the normal stream of life just like everybody else who died because of the Starscourge and what the Six did. But you can see your friends first, because I know you really miss them.”

“If I do become a Messenger, can I still see them?”

“Yes, of course,” Carbuncle said, his eyes narrowing as he smiled again, “Especially if they want to be Messengers with you. I need more than one, and I don’t want you to be lonely.”

Noctis had one final question. “Will it… change me?”

“It will change your form,” Carbuncle said solemnly. “You’ll get godlike powers. And you’ll be able to live for thousands of years without being stressed by immortality like a normal human would. But otherwise, no - you’ll still be who you are, Noctis. Because I like you just the way you are!”

Again, the memory of Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto’s farewell rose to Noctis’s mind. He could see every detail of their faces, could hear the resignation and sorrow in their voices. More than anything, he wanted to see them again. And he also didn’t want anyone to suffer what he’d suffered at the hands of shitty gods. If he were a Messenger, maybe he could help people lead happier lives than he had lived. That idea appealed to him. He could only hope that his friends would want to join him once they found out what he’d become.

“I’ll do it,” Noctis said. Carbuncle gave an excited yip. “And thank you,” Noctis said, smiling. He couldn’t articulate all the reasons he had said it, but what his heart thought was - Thank you for watching over me. Thank you for giving me a second chance. And thank you for making things right.

* * *

_And it was so, that after ETRO had spoken these words unto Noctis, ETRO said to the Hexatheon, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against the things that you have done in my name: for ye have not acted in the manner that is right, as my servant Noctis hath. Therefore I sentence you now to the punishment that you have deserved; and my servant Noctis shall replace you: for him I will accept: and his three good friends, my servants also, shall take their places at his side and mine. So the Hexatheon went away from the people of Eos and were forced to accept the judgement of ETRO against them. And ETRO turned the captivity of Noctis, and made him a Messenger in his name: also ETRO gave Noctis twice as much as he had before. So ETRO blessed the latter end of Noctis more than his beginning: for all the people of Eos became his people, their number being over ten times the number of the people of the country of Lucis in the days before the Long Night. He also had a celestial husband, named Prompto; and two eternal friends, whose names were Gladiolus and Ignis. So Noctis lived, being young and full of many days to come._

**Author's Note:**

> My second FFXV fix it after Amid A Lightless Place. I took some liberties with how Carbuncle texts. I think this removing some of the punctuation gives more of a flavour of how I envision his personality. The text at the end of this fic is a parody of the book of Job from what I think is the King James version of the Christian Bible. I didn't intend for this fic to seem Christian in any way. I just thought I was being clever XD
> 
> Extremely subtle Nightwish reference, go! ("The silence was deep and complete.")


End file.
